Former heavyweight champion Ken Norton dies at 70

Sep. 19, 2013
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Muhammad Ali, right, winces as Ken Norton hits him with a left to the head during their rematch at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. in 1973. Norton, a former heavyweight champion, has died, his son said / AP

by Bob Velin, USA TODAY Sports

by Bob Velin, USA TODAY Sports

Ken Norton, the former heavyweight champion who broke Muhammad Ali's jaw on his way to a major upset in 1973, died Wednesday. He was 70.

Norton died in Arizona, where he had been living since suffering a stroke last year. He had been in failing health for a several years.

Norton had overcome two earlier strokes, prostate cancer, a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery, and survived a terrible car accident in 1986 in which he broke his jaw, ribs and legs, fractured his skull and suffered a brain injury that slurred his speech.

In 1978, Norton was awarded a share of the WBC heavyweight title when Leon Spinks chose to fight Ali for more money and was stripped of the title. But Norton's title reign was short-lived. He lost it for good in a tough split decision loss to undefeated Larry Holmes that June, thus becoming the only heavyweight champion to never win a title fight. His fight against Holmes is considered one of the greatest fights of all time.

Holmes reigned for the next seven years.

Norton finished with a record of 42-7-1 and 33 knockouts, and went into acting after he retired. He starred in Mandingo and was supposed to play Apollo Creed in Rocky but when he pulled out, Carl Weathers was selected.

Norton was also a ringside TV and radio analyst until his car accident.

He was voted by Ring magazine as one of the top 25 heavyweights of all time (No. 22), and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.

On March 31, 1973, Norton was supposed to be a steppingstone for Ali's climb back to the heavyweight title he lost to Joe Frazier two years earlier.

Norton, who was once a sparring partner for Frazier, was trained by Frazier's trainer, Hall of Famer Eddie Futch. He was mostly unknown coming into the Ali fight, having earned just $300 for his previous fight.

Norton told USA TODAY Sports in 2010 he didn't fear Ali and hired a hypnotist to help him deal with Ali's trash-talking. "I felt I was as smart has he was and I was more physical," Norton said. "My manager thought a hypnotist would be a good thing. It gave me more of a positive feeling."

It apparently worked. He broke Ali's jaw with a straight right in the second round, and Ali fought another 10 rounds to finish the fight. Norton won a stunning split decision.

In his next fight, on March 23, 1974, Norton fought George Foreman for the heavyweight championship. Norton was knockded down three times in the second round before finally being called out in a TKO loss.

His second fight against Ali in Sept. 1976 was billed as "The Revenge: Battle of Broken Jaw." Ali was quoted as saying, "I took a nobody and created a monster and now I have to punish him bad."

He beat Norton, but just narrowly, winning a split decision. They fought a third time at Yankee Stadium three years later, and Ali won again by split decision. Norton always believed he won that fight.

"Ali, to me and the world, was boxing at that point," Norton said. "If I had beat Ali in the third fight, it would've ruined everything."

Despite their rivalry, Ali and Norton remained friends through the years.

He told USA TODAY Sports in 2010 that, "Looking back, beating Ali has no bearing on my life now. I see it on TV, but I rarely think about it."

He had some other big moments, both good and bad. On May 11, 1977, on national television, Norton knocked out undefeated Duane Bobick in 53 seconds at Madison Square Garden.

Exactly four years later, after being KO'd in 58 seconds by Gerry Cooney, Norton hung up his gloves for good.

Born in Jacksonville, Ill. on Aug. 9, 1943, Norton attended Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State) on a football scholarship, but was plagued by shoulder injuries, and joined the Marine Corps, where he started boxing. Despite having a sculpted body, Norton said he never lifted weights.

One of his sons, Ken Norton Jr., played for the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers in the NFL and now coaches for the Seattle Seahawks.